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#61 ·
I understand that models before 2004 do not have cabin air filters. What I do not understand how the air gets filtered then? Or there just is no filter at all and owners of older models have the pleasure of breathing in natural, unfiltered, unadulterated, pollinated air?
 
#63 · (Edited)
No heat

Driving my new-to-me '04 after replacing the TB/WP, I thought maybe I didn't burp the cooling system because the heat was barely keeping my feet warm in the unusually cool (55°F) weather we've been having even with the fan on medium-high. But after a few hot/cold cycle checks I found that the coolant was full up. Yanked the cabin air filter out and it was filthy. Zero light coming through when held up to the sun and it was actually heavy with dirt. I don't see how any air could have possibly gotten through it.

Cut a corner out of a pleated furnace filter and cut just the cardboard out of another corner, fit it together, installed it in the frame and viola, now I have heat.
 

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#64 ·
SIENNA4T3Z said:
I understand that models before 2004 do not have cabin air filters. What I do not understand how the air gets filtered then? Or there just is no filter at all and owners of older models have the pleasure of breathing in natural, unfiltered, unadulterated, pollinated air?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Like all car heaters for 80 years or so.
 
#65 ·
I believe that the first vehicle I bought (leased, actually) that DID have a cabin air filter was my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. Prior to that you breathed in whatever man or nature put out there.
 
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#66 ·
lipster said:
Yes.
Like all car heaters for 80 years or so.
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fibber2 said:
I believe that the first vehicle I bought (leased, actually) that DID have a cabin air filter was my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. Prior to that you breathed in whatever man or nature put out there.
Click to expand...
Yep, used to be a routine thing to shut the vents off and hold your breath through the long tunnels, lest you be tasting diesel exhaust.
 
#67 ·
#72 ·
Rock Auto carries the OEM Denso cabin air filters for the 2004, electrostatic version at $4.15, charcoal version at $9, both highly multipleated. Am sure prices to be similar for all Gen II and Gen III types. Various other brands and costs there too.

IMO, at these low prices, I don’t bother anymore with DIY filters that I made and pleated further from 3M Filtrete material.
 
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#73 ·
SIENNA4T3Z said:
I understand that models before 2004 do not have cabin air filters. What I do not understand how the air gets filtered then? Or there just is no filter at all and owners of older models have the pleasure of breathing in natural, unfiltered, unadulterated, pollinated air?
Click to expand...
SIENNA4T3Z said:
I understand that models before 2004 do not have cabin air filters. What I do not understand how the air gets filtered then? Or there just is no filter at all and owners of older models have the pleasure of breathing in natural, unfiltered, unadulterated, pollinated air?
Click to expand...
Yes, thru your vents you get the same air you get when you open your windows.
 
#75 · (Edited)
Me being frugal, I bought 2 of the least expensive cabin filters I could find, The OEM one finally fell apart years ago doing the same routine, I blow them from the opposite side with compressed air carefully , hose with Lysol and dry out in the house near the a/c intake . I switch between the 2 and always have a fresh one ready to go.

06 Sienna does not have the best design for keeping junk out of the cowl.
Driveways are under a huge 50 year old Crepe Mertal ? and it is a dirty tree along with the 50 year old oak tree next door.

I am glad the Sienna does have a cabin filter that is super easy to service, it is always filled with leaves , dirt, hair you name it.

Wife drives an Old Trooper and a couple years ago I did a bunch of A/C work to it and pulled the Evap case, it was filthy with leaves, hair and grease on the fins, half blocked the air flow. Parked under the same tree for 10 years I was thankful it is not a routine, better cowl set up to keep debris out.

Back in the day when vehicles started to have cabin filters it was stupid expensive to replace and some where very hard to replace.

Gotta say Sienna is easy and cost effective.

Keep in mind if you build your own filter, have to balance filtration with air flow.

A/C systems be it your car or house is not designed to make a "sterile room" with filtering the intake side of the airflow.

I learned that with home Hvac stuff, lets put a 1 inch thick Merv 13 filter in the house A/C and make the air clean!!

Well it will work, but airflow diminished so much it would not cool the house and overworked the system.

The filter area be it my home A/C or the Sienna is small compared to how much air flow it will produce and need to work efficiently.

This stuff I use for the house is good trade off for flow and filtration in my hammock filter with small 18 x 24 inch intake area for home A/C.

MERV 8 Tackified Antimicrobial Polyester Filter Media Orange/White - 5 Foot Roll by 25 inch Wide

Might be a good filter media for build it yourself hammock style cabin filter :)

Maybe cut out a piece and filter rear A/C intake in the Sienna?
Stick on back side of intake grill? That's an idea I might look into...lol
 
#76 ·
On my previous van, a '98 Grand Voyager (which didn't have an OE cabin filter), I eventually installed a makeshift cabin air filter made from a 3M Filtrete furnace filter, mainly to reduce smoke from forest fires when we would pass through affected areas. It sure was effective at catching dust and such, but I had to remove the wiper module to get at it.

We are using the Fresh Breeze cabin air filters in our Siennas, but I have not noticed any odor reduction – for example when driving near cattle feed lots those mooers seem to smell the same as they always do. Not a scientific blinded a/b test through!

- G
 
#77 · (Edited)
Decided to check out the cabin air filter in my recently purchased 2005 LE. Don't know if it was original or not, but it looked like it could have been. Completely blocked up with all sorts of crud. Didn't have another filter handy, and no way I was going to pay parts store prices for one, so just cleaned it up as best I could and put it back. Big difference in the AC-went from so-so at high fan speed to ice cold on low fan.

Would try the do it yourself approaches I read about earlier in this thread if the filters weren't so cheap at Rock Auto...Denso at $4.29. Added it to an order I had with a bunch of other stuff (Like a couple Denso air filters at $5.55 each) from the same shipping location and shipping was close to free.
 
#78 ·
long_haul7 said:
Decided to check out the cabin air filter in my recently purchased 2005 LX. Don't know if it was original or not, but it looked like it could have been. Completely blocked up with all sorts of crud. Didn't have another filter handy, and no way I was going to pay parts store prices for one, so just cleaned it up as best I could and put it back. Big difference in the AC-went from so-so at high fan speed to ice cold on low fan.

Would try the do it yourself approaches I read about earlier in this thread if the filters weren't so cheap at Rock Auto...Denso at $4.29. Added it to an order I had with a bunch of other stuff (Like a couple Denso air filters at $5.55 each) from the same shipping location and shipping was close to free.
Click to expand...
Check your engine air filter too. Cheap like the cabin filter and very easy too replace (not as easy as the cabin filter). I think you have to remove a few 10mm? bolts if I remember right.
 
#79 ·
robodump said:
You can search "FRAM CF10132 Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter" on amazon. It is currently listed as $13.04. You can also get it at walmart stores for $14.
Click to expand...
Confirmed @ December 10, 2024 ~ this search brings forth good results for cabin air filters AND kits with cabin and a/c filters & installation helper tools for about $22.00 USD
 
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#80 ·
aconsola said:
I am looking to get a replacement cabin filter for out 2006 LE. I tried looking them up online, but there seem to be several different filters. The Filter listed as for CE/LE looks nothing like what I have in the van. The XLE only filter looks more like what I have. Of course the 2 auto parts stores I stopped at had none of either variation in stock to compare.
it says I should use this one for a ce/le
Image

But what I already have looks more like this:
Image

Which is listed as for the XLE only

Are they interchangeable?

Any cheap sources for them online?
Click to expand...
I simply went to Amazon, put in my make, year and model. I found the air filter I was looking for. It was the right size, but the design was a bit different. Fit perfectly.
 
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